I take air travel a

 

Yesterday, before the meet and greet, a woman recognized me by my telltale American Eagle bag.  (I'm wearing it in my after photo they use on the show.)  So, I stopped and talked with her for a few minutes.  She'd flown in from Ohio, I believe she said.  OHIO.  To see my father.  To see us.  She said, because we motivate her.

 

It really is amazing.  It all kind of sank in at dinner that night.  At one of the casino buffets with a great group of people from my father's forum.

 

One of them was taking photos with an amazing digital camera all day long and my own camera was having issues with the lighting, so I gave up on photos and I'll repost a few of his when he gets them online.

 

Dinner for me was as carbalicious as I get and I felt like a complete ass, eating like that in front of all these dieters.  But I was starving!  And everything that wasn't carbs was greasy and terrible.  Actually... I ate salad mostly.  It was that piece of sugar free chocolate cake topped with sugar free ice cream that really made me feel bad.  Made me feel even worse later.  Stupid, stupid maltitol.

 

The first woman I met--the woman from Ohio--she pulled me aside after dinner and asked me if all of this has sank in yet.  I wasn't sure if she was talking about the weekend or my entire life.  She clarified.  Yeah... my entire life.

 

I think the answer to that question will always be, yes and no.

 

She then told me to never take it for granted.  But in a really nice way.

 

Then we talked about Big Brother 5 strategies for half an hour.  Interestingly enough, her daughter dated the identical twin of one of the guys on the show and she had pictures to prove it.

 

I mentioned in my last audioblog that my father had given Anthony more gambling money, because of Anthony's terrible losing streak.  Well, he lost that money too.  And then he was given more money, which he split in half for two seperate gambling sessions.  He lost the first half in minutes.

 

When he left for the casino with his final twenty dollar bill, I expected him back shortly and he did not disappoint.  My father had given him one hundred and ninety dollars in two days and he'd blown it all.

 

Then he started pulling twenties from his pockets.  Fucking bastard won a thousand quarters on a slot machine!  Two hundred and fifty dollars!  Redemption!

 

Me being such a pessimist only made Anthony's victory an even sweeter one for all parties.  Anthony got to rub his winnings in my face and I got to take a cut, due to unfair money division on my father's part.  Anthony won two hundred and fifty dollars on a bet he made with ninety dollars that my father gave to him, but not me... because Anthony had gambled away all of his previous funds... because and only because he was old enough to gamble.

 

Even Anthony could see that this was unfair... and it made me a cool fifty bucks!  Everyone is happy!